Pneumatic displacement pump



bept. 16, 1941. HEGY 2,255,924\

" PNEUMATIC DISPLACEMENT PUMP Filed April 6, 1940 evitar'.-

20a/s HEGY .p

Patented Sept. 16, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT QFFIQE PNEUMATICDISPLACEMEN T PUMP Louis Hegy, San Jose, Calif.

Application April 6, 1940, Serial No. 328,360

(Cl. S-238) 5 Claims.

The present invention relates particularly to that type of pump designedfor raising water from one level to another by the alternate filling andemptying of a pair of submerged tanks or chambers.

It is one object of the present invention to provide a pump of thecharacter indicated for raising water or other liquids from one level toanother so constructed and arranged as to obviate the necessity of usingsprings, levers, and other small operating mechanisms that add to thecost of production of any machine, as well as greatly increases the costof maintenance.

It is another object to provide a pump of the character indicated thatwill operate smoothly and continuously without material wear, and thatcan be assembled, in the main, from standard products, therebyeliminatingA the excessive cost of many special parts.

Finally, it is the object to provide a pump of the character indicatedthat will be economical to manufacture, simple in form Aandconstruction, that consists of few parts, that is strong, durable, andefficient in its practical application.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a pump embodying my invention, partly insection, and with parts broken away.

Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional View through the fluid now controlvalves, partly in elevation.

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view through a portion of the floatcontrolling the valve operation, with some of the parts immediatelyassocated therewith.

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail View of the air control device to one ofthe chambers, partly in section.

In the particular embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, I showat I a vertically disposed cylinder divided into chambers 2 and 3 by thepartition 4. The chamber 2 is filled with Water through a check-Valvecontrolled port 5, and is emptied into a central discharge pipe 6through a check-valve controlled port l. The chamberr is iilled withWater through a check-valve controlled port 8, and is emptied into thecentral discharge pipe 6 through a check-valve controlled ort 9. p Thechambers 2 and 3 are lled alternately with water flowing in from thewell or other source of supply, and they are emptied of wateralternately by air discharged into the chambers under pressure, and ltoeffect this prompt alterair flow thereto is controlled in the followingmanner.

The discharge pipe 6 extends axially from the bottom upwardly throughthe top of the cylinder I, and the valve structure controlling the airflow is set on the top of the cylinder in parallel relation to pipe 6,as indicated generally at I0.

The valve structure I0 consists of a tube yII fitted with a top closureI2, and a bottom closure I3 which also functions as a support for` atube I4 of smaller diameter. The tubes II and i4 are axially aligned andthe smaller tube I4 is seated in the top ofcylinder E and communicateswith the chamber 3 as shown.

In the tube il is slidably mounted a valve Il comprising a threaded rodhaving piston valve heads mounted on opposite ends as at I'I and I8, andintermediate, spaced piston heads at I9 and '20, thereby forming threechambers as 2|, 22

and 23. This piston valve is so proportioned relative to the length oftube II that it has a fixed range of movement in either direction, theend chambers 211 and 25 lying between the ends of the valve and the endsof the tube.

At 26- is shown an annular row of ports in tube I I and disposed to bejust cleared by piston head I9 when in its lowermost position. Theseports communicate with an annular Conduit 2l which in turn communicateswith a pipe 28 leading downwardly and into the top of chamber 2. Thispipe terminates in a vertical end 29 having a float 3@ slidably mountedthereon as shown. The iioat has a partition 3l that closes the pipe whenthe iloat is raised, and a series of holes 32 that permits the iiow ofair from the pipe when the float is lowered. The ports 2B connect thechamber 2I with chamber 2 with the valve I9 in the position shown, butchamber 2I is then also connected by port 33 with compressed air supplypipe Sfl which in turn communicates with chamber 23 through port 35 andwith chamber 36' in tube I4.

A piston valve 3l is mounted in tube I and forms chambers 36, 38 and 39therein by means of the three heads 4B, 4I and 42 thereon.

A second annular row of ports 43 is formed in the tube Ii below head i9to just clear the head I9 when in its lowermost position, and theseports communicate with annular conduit 44 and exhaust pipe 45,permitting air to flow out of chamber 22 to the atmosphere.

A third annular row of ports 45 is formed in the tube II just above thehead 252, and these ports connect the chamber 22 with a-n annular natefilling and emptying of the chambers the conduit 41 and thence with apipe i8 extending' rdown to and communicating with the top of l chamber3.

The top end of tube I4 is provided with a port l 49 which communicateswith a pipe 50 discharging to the atmosphere, the pipe 50 also communiicating with port 5I leading to chamber 38, the 1 said port 50 beingdisposed immediately below l the piston valve head 4I as shown.

Leading from chamber 39, in tube I4, and immediately above head 42, is apipe 52, this pipe being connected to, or communicating with,

l chamber through port 53.

Leading from chamber 36 just above the head 4I to the top of chamber 24in tube II -is a conrduit 54.

With the two piston valves I6 and 3l in the positions shown compressedair has so positioned the valve I6 by passing from pipe 34 throughchamber 36, andv pipe 54 to chamber 24. In this l position compressedair also flows from conduit 1v 34 through chamber ZI and conduit 28 tochamber 2, where it forces the water therein out through yvalve 'I intodischarge pipe 6. While j the foregoing voperation is taking place wateris i owing into chamber 3 through check valve 8, the air exhaustingtherefrom through conduit 48, chamber 22, and conduit 45, to the`atmosphere.Y Y Y.

When the water in chamber 2 approaches the l top, it operates the iioat36 to close conduit 28 and prevent water from entering said conduit,

and at the same time it builds up an air cushion at the top of thechamber which facilitates the movement when air is again discharged intothe chamber.

. To reverse the operation and force the water out of chamber 3 through`check valve 9 into discharge pipe 6, and to permit water to flow intochamber 2 through valve '5, the following mechal t nism is provided.

Mounted on pipe 6 and in chamber 3 is a sliding sleeve 55. On the lowerend of the sleeve is Vmounted a cup 56 with an enclosed air-chamberbottom as 5l. On the upper end of the sleeve is mounted an inverted cup58 forming an air chamber 59, and a check-valve controlled air inletpipe is inserted inV the top ofthe part 58 as indicated at 60. Y

On the top of the 55--60 float structure is mounted a horizontal disc6I', and this disc of such va diameter as to extend between two small ydiscs 62 on the lower end of piston valve 3l.

rIhe result of the above described construction is that as the waterrises in chamber 3 it iills the cup 56 and ascends in part 58, somewhatcompressing the air therein, and overcomes the weight of the iioatstructure andcauses it to rise. An upward movement of the floatstructure will move the piston valve 3l into the position indicated indotted lines at 31a, the air in chamber 39 exhaustingv to atmospherethrough conduit 56, and the air in chamber 24 also exhausting toatmosphere through conduit 54,V

chamber 38, and conduit-58,

But the new position of valve 3l` changes the path of the compressed airfrom chamber 36 to In the new position of valve I6 the chamber 2l has nooutlet, but the chamber 22 then connects the conduits 28 and 45,permitting the exhaust of air from chamber 2 as described.

The float structure connection 6I--62 is such that positive action issecured and any tendency for a rotary movement of either part ispermitted without mechanical complication.

When the water starts to descend in chamber 3 that small body in part 58would drop away suddenly and exert a drag thereon when the main bodypasses its bottom edge if it formed a completely closed chamber. But byproviding the check valve -at 60 air under pressure is admitted into thetopy of the chamber thereby equalizing the air pressure within andwithout the chamber and causing the water to move out of ituniformlywith the main body of water.

The closed air chamber 5'I is provided to properly balance the floatstructure'so that it will ynot drop and reverse the valves'l6 and 31until the water descends to the bottom of the chamber 3,V the iilled cup56 being the actuating force oi the float in this operation.

Although but one specic embodiment of the invention has been hereinillustrated and described, it will be understood that variousalterations in the details of construction and mode of application maybe made without departing fromV the scope of the invention as indicatedin the accompanying claims. l

I claim: Y

1. A pneumatic displacement pump comprising, a pair of pressure chambershaving checkvalved inlets, a discharge pipe having checkvalved inletsfrom said chambers, a main piston valve cylinder, a conduit leading fromeach chamber to longitudinally spaced ports in saidY cylinder, anexhaust conduit and a compressedair supply conduit leading to otherspaced ports in said cylinder, a piston valve mounted in said cylinderwith heads disposed thereon to form pressure chambers inthe cylinderends and to alternately place the rst two conduits into communicationwith the compressedair supply conduit and the exhaust conduit when movedaxially, a second piston valve cylinder having ports formed thereinconnected, respectively, with the end pressure chambers in the maincylinder, with the compressed-air conduit, and with the atmosphere, apiston valve mounted therein with heads disposed thereon to alternatelyconnect each port connected to an end pressure chamber with theatmosphere and with the compressed-air conduit, and a float mounted inone of said first mentioned pressure r,chambers and operativelyconnectedto said last mentioned piston valve to actuate the same.

2.1In a device of the character described including a chamber having acheck-valve controlled liquid inlet, a liquid discharge pipe having acheck-valve controlled inlet from the chamber, and a valvekcontrolledair inlet and exhaust port; a iloat mounted for vertical movement in thechamberganld extending substantially the length thereof, 'said floatincluding a liquid receptacle or Vcup on the lower end thereof and aninverted cup-shaped member on the upper end thereof,A

an airr inlety check-valve in the top portion ofl said .memben anair-pressure-actuated valve constructedv'and arranged to control the airflow Y valve, and valve actuating connections between the oat and lastmentioned valve.

3. The structure set forth in claim 2 wherein the liquid cup on thelower end of the float is provided with a closed air chamber to addbuoyance to the oat.

4. A pneumatic displacement pump comprising, a pair of axially alignedpressure chambers having check-valved inlets, a discharge pipe disposedto extend axially through said chambers and having check-Valved inletsfrom said chambers, a main piston valve cylinder having closed ends, asecond piston valve cylinder axially mounted on one end thereof andmounted on one pressure chamber to communicate therewith and in parallelrelation to the discharge pipe, a series of longitudinally spaced portsformed in each cylinder, a compressed Iair conduit leading to certainports in each cylinder, a conduit leading from each chamber to certainports in the main cylinder, an exhaust conduit leading to another portin said main cylinder, an exhaust conduit leading from certain ports inthe second cylinder, a conduit connecting one end of the main cylinderwith an end port in the second cylinder, a conduit connecting the otherend of the main cylinder with another port in the second cylinder,multiheaded piston valves in said cylinders, the piston heads and portsbeing disposed to effect alternate opening and closing oi the severalports to reverse the direction of air flow, when the piston Valves areshifted in the cylinders, a oat mounted in one pressure chamber, and aconnection between the float and the piston valve in the second cylinderwhereby lling and emptying of the chamber will operate the float toactuate the valve.

5. A pneumatic displacement pump comprising, a pair of axially alignedpressure chambers having check-valved inlets, a discharge pipe disposedto extend axially through said chambers and having check-valved inletstherefrom, air inlet and exhaust conduits communicating with saidchambers, valve means constructed and arranged to control the flow ofair through said conduits, said valve means including a pistonvalvecylinder mounted on one chamber in parallel relation to the dischargepipe and communicating with said chamber, a piston-valve mounted in saidcylinder, and a oat slidably mounted on the discharge pipe in saidchamber and operatively connected to the piston-valve to actuate thesame.

LOUIS HEGY.

